Bush to make statement on Iraq, military strength

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) US President George W Bush will hold a news conference today at 10 am 2030 IST and will make an opening statement on Iraq, the White House said.

Bush will also speak about his ''inclination to increase the end strength of the military, as well as his commitment to working in a bipartisan way and to assure we keep the economy strong and growing,'' White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

In a Washington Post interview yesterday, Bush said the United States was not winning in Iraq and that he planned to expand the US military to deal with the long-term fight against terrorism.

Bush is expected to announce a new Iraq strategy in January. The administration has been studying a temporary increase in the number of troops in Iraq as part of the new strategy.

REUTERS LL BD1922